Pop Pop Epistle #21 – Welcome Audrey Lynn Reyner

Dear Grandkids,

Today is an exciting day for our family. Well, actually the exciting day started at 10:28 PM last night. In case your parents haven’t told you yet, you have a new baby girl cousin – or sister as the case might be for Keller. By the time I write my next epistle that little sonogram blob below will be replaced by a whole bunch of cuteness.

So this makes 6 times now that your Nona and I have welcomed a grandbaby into our family in just a little more than 5 years. Three of you have been born in a little more than 7 months. And at present, as far as we know, there are no more currently in the pipeline.

I hope you already know that you have been prayed for even before you were conceived and are the primary focus even now of the prayer times that Nona and I have together. Here are 6 Scripture based prayers that we will continue to pray for you in the days to come as we watch you grow up and wait to see how the Lord mightily uses you as an instrument of His grace:

“But to all who did receive (Jesus), who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12) – Our foremost prayer will be that you put your faith in the Lord Jesus as the One who reconciles you to the Father and become a child of God.

“And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.” (1 John 2:28) Abide is one of my favorite New Testament words. We will be praying that you learn how to abide, how to be nourished and find your satisfaction in Jesus alone.

“Little children, let no one deceive you.” (1 John 3:7) There will be many who will try to distract you and steer you away from the Lord. Our prayer is that you will be thoroughly grounded in the truth so that no one will be able to deceive you.

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18) We will be praying that others will know that you love them not just because of what you say but more importantly because of what you do.

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21) This verse is the way that the Apostle John concludes his first letter. It was what he wanted them to remember. Our prayer will be that you worship the Lord alone and not the things of this world that can so easily become idols to us.

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John:4) We will pray that step by step, day by day, that you will walk in the truth. The Word of God will light your path and lead you in the way of truth if you will devote yourselves to be students of the Word.